This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 01 00558, filed on Jan. 12, 2001, the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an element for retaining the front of a boot on an alpine ski.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
A conventional alpine ski boot has front and rear end pieces by means of which the boot is retained on a ski.
Thus, the DIN 7880 standards, Part I and Part II, define the dimensions of the front and rear end pieces for boots for both adults and children, as well as the dimensions of the front and rear support surfaces of the soles of such boots.
The elements for retaining the boot, i.e., the bindings, are constructed as a function of these dimensions.
Boots constructed according to these standards are well-known for being uncomfortable and ill-adapted for walking, for example when one wishes to catch a departing ski lift.
Attempts have been made to develop and market a boot that is adapted to both walking and skiing. Thus, a flexible high boot for skiing is known from the patent document EP 126 275.
However, such a boot requires research and development for a specific retaining assembly that includes the construction of retaining elements adapted to the boot, the validation of these elements in terms of their ability to release the boot if necessary, and the introduction of this entire newly designed assembly to the public. The commercial success of such a boot therefore requires substantial investment and effort.
Another possibility includes modifying the construction of a conventional alpine ski boot to make it more comfortable for walking. However, such a solution requires also modifying the construction of the retaining elements, in particular the front element, as a function of these transformations.
In this context, an object of the invention is to propose a front retaining element, i.e., a front binding, constructed according to a known mode of construction, and modified so that it is adapted to both retain a ski boot upon a ski, as well as to facilitate walking when released from the ski.
Another object of the invention is to propose a modified retaining element in which the modifications are less substantial than those previously known.
Still another object of the invention is to propose a mode of constructing a front retaining element that can be easily applied to existing constructions.
The front retaining element according to the invention includes a jaw carried by a body which itself is mounted on a mounting base provided to be affixedly connected to the ski, a support element behind the jaw provided to receive the support of the boot sole, the mounting base having, toward the rear of the jaw, at least one bore provided for a screw for assembly to the ski, and a support element provided to receive the boot sole.
The mounting base includes two zones that extend in a common longitudinal direction, a front zone on which the body is mounted, and a rear zone that extends rearward of the jaw, in which the bore and the support element are located. The rear zone of the element is lower in relation to the front zone.
Thus, the invention proposes to modify the mounting base of the retaining element so as to raise the front zone with the body of the retaining element, the jaw and the mechanism for the elastic return of the jaw. Therefore, elements with known constructions can be used to obtain this portion of the retaining element, in particular the jaw, the body and the portion of the mounting base that supports the body. Because the jaw is raised with respect to the support element, the retaining element can receive boot soles whose front end piece has an upper edge higher than a conventional alpine ski boot. The length of the screws for assembling the retaining element which are located in the rear zone, substantially perpendicular to the jaw, is not modified significantly, which makes it possible to maintain an efficient anchoring of these assembly screws into the ski. Preferably, the support element of the retaining element is laterally movable to accompany the boot sole in the case of an excessive lateral force, independently of the relief and roughness of the sole.